Electronic Health Reporter

In this new series, we are featuring some of the thousands of vendors who will be participating in the HIMSS15 conference and trade show. Through it, we hope to offer readers a closer look at some of the solution providers who will either be in attendance – with a booth showcasing and displaying key products and offerings – or that will have a presence of some kind at the show – key executives in attendance or presenting, for example.

Even as HIMSS Media has said that its employees will be making more of an effort this year to cover the tradeshow floor and its vendors and events, hopefully this series will give you a bit more useful information about the companies that help make this event, and the industry as a whole, so exciting.

The Usability People

The Usability People provide user experience (UX) consultation and usability testing services to clients in the US and across the globe. We have helped “mom-and-pop” shops and Internet startups, healthcare software (EHR) vendors, enterprise organizations, universities and government agencies. We have more than 25 years of experience providing user experience consultation, usability testing and interface design services to businesses of all shapes and sizes. The Usability People have the experience, knowledge and passion for UX to help your website, mobile web or phone app delight users.

Elevator Pitch

We like to tell people that we are cognitive ergonomists. That is that we take and apply the theories of psychology, specifically cognitive psychology, to the design and development of more usable software systems. We do this by helping development organizations better understand their users, and their users thinking. We work with software developers to design and test their systems to better match the workflow and mental models of those use the software every day.

Market Opportunity

EHR vendors that are seeking meaningful use Stage 2 certification are required to have a user-centered design process and to provide a report of a summative usability evaluation. We work with EHR vendors to help them understand their users, to design better software and provide the summative tests required for meaningful use Stage 2 certification.

Services and Products Offered

• Safety-enhanced design (aka Usability) testing for meaningful use Stage 2 certification
• User experience design, workflow, information architecture and wireframes for healthcare applications.

We conduct and report summative usability evaluations using the NISTIR 7742 Customized Common Industry Format Template for EHR usability testing suitable for presentation as the safety-enhanced design criteria portion of MU Stage 2 certification.

Problems Solved

Usability issues with EHRs and user-centered design consultation.

Value Proposition

Usability and user centered design typically has a 10 to 100 times return on investment. The savings typically are realized in reduced development costs, reduced training and documentation costs and reduced support costs. Usability in healthcare can also save a life.

Key Messages

Usability starts with you. The Usability People can help.

Booth Number

No booth, attending

Key Executives at Conference

• Bennett Lauber, chief experience officer
• Stephanie Warner, director of business development

Clients Served

EHR vendors

Selling Proposition

The usability of an EHR system is the probably most important factor in making an informed choice of which doctors will use in their practice. Although most every bit of software says that it is easy to use, but how can you be sure that your EHR that is actually usable? An EHR needs to work (effective), work well (efficient) and not cause any unnecessary frustration (satisfying). The Usability People provide user experience consultation for the healthcare industry.

In addition to evaluations of user interfaces and formal usability studies, we provide strategic UX design consultation to enhance your web or mobile application, we help you to provide a better user experience for your customers and a much greater ROI for your development budget.

When Founded

July 2012

Number of full-time employees

5

Headquarters

Fairfax, VA

Number of Previous HIMSS Conference Appearances

1

Specific Reason for Attendance

Seeking to reconnect with previous clients, and network with potential new clients.

Industry Outlook

The usability of healthcare software, or lack thereof, has been a topic of discussion for several years. The problem has become so widespread that the American Medical Association (AMA) has recently issued a framework for improving the ease of use of EHRs. We feel that usability is the new black. Healthcare software companies that fully embrace the user-centered design process and work with their usability people will thrive.